Page 95 of Secrets & Sake
Being dead sucks.
Zero out of ten. Would never recommend.
Wait. Am I dead? Can the dead think?
I feel like shit. Although, not as much as I should, considering I got burned alive. I probably look like Deadpool. I ease open my eyes, wincing at the bright white walls. The view outside the windows is familiar. I’m in Raiden’s penthouse, in one of the guest bedrooms.
Bracing myself, I look down, expecting to see myself wrapped in bandages like a mummy. But there’s… nothing. My skin is completely unblemished. How could my burns have healed so quickly? What the hell? Only supernatural creatures have that kind of power.
Before I can spiral, the bedroom door flies open. Raiden fills the doorway, and the sight of him steals the air from my lungs and kick-starts my heart. A scent like nothing I’ve ever smelled before hits me, and it’s like all my senses wake up. The scent rolling off him is… indescribable but all I know the minute I catch his scent is that from now until the day I leave this earth, he’s all I will ever want, all I’ll need.
This man is going to be mine—forever.
Eyes bright with vulnerability he’s never shown me, Raiden crosses the room in seconds, takes my face in his hands, and kisses me. “Sunshine,” he whispers, voice shaking. He kisses me until my lips are tingling, and I’m breathless.
“If I’m your sun, then you’re my moon.” I kiss his cheeks, his chin, the tip of his nose. No matter how dark the night gets, as long as I have him and the light he’s brought into my life, I know I’ll be okay. “I love you, Raiden.”
The breath shivers in his chest. “No one’s ever said that to me before.” He whispers the words into my neck, hiding his face from me. He gathers me close, and I melt into the warmth of his arms and bask in his scent.
“I… I want to say it back, but…” Raiden’s voice falters. “It’s difficult.”
“Do you not believe me?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “I do. It’s just hard.”
I rub my hands up and down his back. “That’s okay.” After the trauma of his parents’ separation, then his horrible experience with Takada, I can’t blame him for being hesitant. “I’ll just have to say it enough for the both of us—if you’re okay with hearing it.”
He presses a smile into my skin. “I like hearing it from you.”
Bringing my mouth to the hinge of his jaw, I kiss him. “I love you.”
Raiden shivers against me, squeezing me tight.
“You smell amazing,” I say, breathing in his scent.
He tenses in my arms. “About that. There’s something you should know.” Raiden untangles himself from my arms and faces me. “When you were hurt, the ritual was completed. The kitsune was passed on to Hideyoshi, but he was too badly injured to contain her. You were dying. I thought…” His words catch, and he blinks fast. “I thought I was going to lose you. Hideyoshi offered the kitsune to you so your wounds could heal.”
My heart thumps faster at his words. “I’m… I’m a kitsune now?”
Averting his eyes, Raiden nods. I don’t know how to react. Obviously I’m grateful to be alive, but can I handle a kitsune? I don’t feel too different. My senses are sharper, but that’s about it. “What happened to Hideyoshi?”
Raiden’s expression is difficult to read. “He’s dead. So are all the other victims, unfortunately, and Namikawa.”
What a mess. “So what does this mean for the organization? Who will lead?”
“You’re looking at him.”
My eyes widen. “You’re the new boss? But… but Namikawa’s gone. You’re free.”
Raiden shakes his head. “I can’t be. Not with the Takada-kai still gunning for us. And maybe the hunters, though I’m not so sure about them. As soon as I’m sure my pack will be alright without me, I’ll pass on leadership to someone else. We can leave. Go wherever you want. Just wait for me.”
Leaning in, I kiss him. “Fine. If I have to. You’re usually worth the wait.”
When my stomach growls, Raiden jumps up. “I made you some food. Not my usual culinary masterpiece, so don’t get too excited. I’ll be right back, oh, and the visiting nurse is here!”
The door closes behind him, and I slump against the pillows. The nurse comes in to check my vitals, remove the IV, and run a few tests. She has no reaction to how quickly my injuries healed, so she must be in on the pack’s secrets. Once she leaves, Raiden returns with some egg and rice in a bowl. He feeds it to me, even though I mumble that I can feed myself. I like it when he takes care of me.
“What will we do about the kitsune?” I swallow a bite of scrambled egg. “The only person who was able to reject the kitsune curse was your father.”